Cop Hater: 87th Precinct Series, Book 1

When a sniper begins gunning down cops from the 87th Precinct in cold blood, it’s up to Detective Steve Carella to solve the case. With three cops already dead, Carella delves into the city’s underworld to search for the killer.

1950's Noir...

Really enjoyed this trip down memory lane. This police procedural takes you back to a time before CSI forensics and the "bulls" were the king of the ..Show More »streets and tough as nails. Corruption, abuse, and sex was part of a "bulls" every day life. being nice did not solve crimes. I find McBain's characters to be realistic and not as one dimensional as Elmore Leonard. Light, entertaining stories with a nostalgic flair. I recommend and am in the process of reading "The Mugger".

The Mugger

A beat cop winds up on the trail of a deadly mugger, but when it suddenly gets personal, his own life might be the next thing to be snatched….

50's Cop Series

The first book "Cop Killer" was set against a heatwave in the middle of summer.

The second book "The Mugger" takes place in Fall (Autumn). ..Show More »

It was a coincidence that I happened to read both books during the seasons that they were written about. I was impressed with Mccains atmospheric writing, perhaps because I experienced the seasons as he described them. He was able to capture a feeling of the city, in part because of the different seasons.

McBain describes the city as if it were a woman (his words) and the reader can thus feel the dress sticking to her skin; Whether it is the sweltering summer sweat, or leaves falling around her ankles onto wet pavement.

Once the mood is set, the actors are introduced: the criminals and the crimes they perpetrate, the enforcers of peace, and the families at home.

"You know her tossed head in the auburn crowns of molting autumn foliage, Riverhead, and the park. […] You have seen her naked streets, have heard the sullen murmur of the wind in the concrete canyons of Isola, have watched her come awake, alive. […] She is big and sprawling and dirty sometimes, and sometimes she shrieks in pain, and sometimes she moans in ecstasy.But she could be nothing but a woman, and that’s good because your business is women.You are a mugger." - Ed Mccain from "The Mugger"

By todays standards Mccain's writing may seem quaint, but it captures the essence of 1950's cop novels.

The Pusher: 87th Precinct Series

A bitterly cold night offers up a body turned blue - not frozen, but swinging from a rope in a dank basement. The dead teen seems like a clear case of suicide, but Detective Steve Carella and Lieutenant Peter Byrnes find a few facts out of place, and an autopsy confirms their suspicions. The boy hadn’t hung himself but OD’d on heroin before an unknown companion strung him up to hide the true cause of death.

Story ok Dick Hill not

I loved Dick Hill in all the Jack Reacher novels but this performance was melodramatic and I almost didn't make it to the end. Which would have been U..Show More »nfortunate because the ending was worth it.

Killer's Choice: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 5

A woman is murdered in a liquor store, hurtling the men from the 87th Precinct into an investigation of her secret lives and many possible enemies. Faced with a host of suspects—from the woman’s former mother-in-law to her ex-husband, employer, and a string of boyfriends—the detectives find themselves with a victim whose identity spurns all conventional definition.

When will Dick Hill retire?

Ed McBain was a wonderful writer. Never once was I disappointed reading one of his books. I have several of his books on audio tapes. They were goo..Show More »d listens. Dick Hill just ruined this book. His reading is a total distraction from the story line. The job of the narrator is to perform the story. It is not to bring attention to himself. I thought for awhile before buying this book because Dick Hill's narrations are all over the place. They are either great or terrible. Wish I'd saved my credit.

Killer's Payoff: 87th Precinct, Book 6

It’s like an old-time gangster movie: A speeding car, a blazing gun…and suddenly a guy walking down the street without a care in the world is lying in the gutter without a head on his shoulders. But who pulled the high-powered trigger that turned Sy Kramer from a blackmailer into a chalk outline? Was it the politician’s wife with a pornographic past? The soda-pop tycoon desperate to keep a business-busting bungle bottled up? Or was it whoever was paying Kramer a small fortune to hide what must’ve been one very big bad?

Killer's Wedge: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 7

Her name is Virginia Dodge. And she’s here to kill Detective Steve Carella. An ordinary day at the 87th Precinct is about to take a turn for the worse when Dodge shows up to put a bullet in Carella’s head. And she doesn’t care if she has to take all the men in the 87th with her to do it. Armed with a homemade bomb, a handgun, and a bottle of nitroglycerine hidden in her purse, Virginia holds the entire squad room hostage as she waits for Carella. And no one is leaving until he shows up to meet his maker.

Lady Killer: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 8

>"I will kill the Lady tonight at 8. What can you do about it?" This is the message on a pasted-up letter handed to Desk Sergeant Dave Murchison at 8:00 a.m. The detectives at the 87th Precinct have gotten these types of threats before, but there’s something different about this one. Something ominous. Problem is, the city contains millions of women—finding the right one in 12 hours is like finding a needle in a haystack.

'Til Death: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 9

Detective Steve Carella’s sister is getting married but someone wants the groom dead, and Steve has just a few hours to locate the killer before his sister becomes a bride — and a widow — on the same day.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Give the Boys a Great Big Hand: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 11

He dresses in black and stalks the streets of the 87th Precinct. He is a shadow, always searching for his next victim. And when he finds it, all that will be left is a severed hand. For Detectives Carella and Hawes, this new killer is an enigma. He leaves no trace of his crime—no evidence at all. Even the severed hands have had their fingertips sheared off. With nothing much to go on, the detectives work off the hunch that the black-clad killer has a grudge against the 87th.

The Heckler: 87th Precinct, Book 12

With crooks to cuff and pimps to put behind bars, detectives Carella and Meyer of the 87th Precinct simply don’t have the time or patience to deal with a prank caller - even if he has phoned murder threats to two dozen local shop owners. What they fail to realize, however, is they aren’t dealing with a heckler who’s ringing round for kicks but rather a modern-day Moriarty known only as the Deaf Man - and these phone calls are just his first move in a calculated scheme to pull off the bank robbery of the decade.

See Them Die: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 13

“Kill me if you can.” Local thug Pepe Miranda’s open challenge to the police has pushed July’s heat to a boiling point. His latest crime elevated him to the top of the 87th Precinct’s most wanted list, and now his dare is earning him street cred as well. With the city’s most dangerous gangs mobilized for an epic showdown, the fate of the precinct hangs in the balance. But Lieutenant Peter Byrnes and his detectives are ready for anything. They aren’t going to let a challenge like that lie - not from Miranda.

Lady, Lady, I Did It!: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 14

The only person Detective Bert Kling cares about in this world is his fiancée, Claire Townsend. And when her body is found slain at the infamous “bookstore massacre,” Bert and every detective in the precinct is determined to get the man responsible. To do so, they’re going to have to figure out the connection between a junkie, a professor, a bookstore owner, and the beautiful fiancée of a cop. When they do, there will be nowhere for the killer to hide. This is a devastating look at the personal side of a hardened detective.

The Empty Hours: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 15

These three nerve-racking stories from best-selling author Ed McBain put detectives from the 87th Precinct on the trail of different killers who take the lives of a rich woman, a rabbi, and a ski instructor.

Like Love: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 16

There’s a lot going on in the 87th Precinct this spring, and none of it is good. Jumpers on building ledges, a salesman torn apart by an explosion, and to cap it all off, they find the dead, half-naked bodies of Irene Thayer and Tommy Barlow in bed together. It has all the earmarks of a double suicide: a note, empty liquor bottles, closed windows, and the gas on the stove turned up. At least this one’s open and shut. Or is it?

I loved the story, but

Again personal preference, stories like this make me melancholy. As an audible book I am distracted by a reader that has too many voices that do not m..Show More »atch my imagination. In a less pensive story it matters less as the focus is on the action, interaction and wordplay. In the case of a story as bittersweet as this, the narrator should be nothing more than that, inflection where it is indicated, no contrived voices and minimum dramatic imput.

Ten Plus One: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 17

An anonymous sniper on a deadly rampage has the men of the 87th Precinct on their heels and the city with tattered nerves. They must somehow find their man before he takes aim again. A gritty, relentless pressure cooker of a thriller, Ten Plus One is one of best-selling author Ed McBain’s finest, the ultimate addition to the 87th Precinct series where time threatens to stand still and murder rules the day.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Jigsaw: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 24

A piece of a torn picture in the hand of a dead man puts the detectives of the 87th Precinct on the trail of $750,000 missing from a six-year-old bank heist. With relentless pace and genius plotting, this installment of the 87th Precinct series weaves an unforgettable tale of greed and murder.

Hail, Hail, the Gang’s All Here: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 25

At midnight, one day dies as another comes to life. For the men of the 87th Precinct, they all bleed together in a never-ending cycle of crime and punishment. But every now and then, a day stands out as more unusual than the others. This is one of those days. Carella and Hawes investigate a murder; Kling delves into a store-front church bombing; Meyer checks out a house haunted by larcenous ghosts; Willis and Genero look into a naked hippie’s four-story death fall; Delgado takes an assault case in the Puerto Rican barrio; and Kapek hunts a man and woman mugging team.

Sadie When She Died: 87th Precinct, Book 26

Christmas is coming. But erudite attorney Gerry Fletcher got his present early: His wife’s body with a knife buried in it. Though he shamelessly cops to being happy she’s dead, his alibi is airtight and all signs point to a burglary gone bad. But even when detectives Steve Carella and Bert Kling follow the clues to a junky punk and get a full confession, Carella can’t quit thinking there’s something about the case that’s as phony as a sidewalk Santa’s beard.

Let's Hear It for the Deaf Man: 87th Precinct Series

Between a highly successful cat burglar and a hippie crucifixion, the 87th Precinct definitely doesn't need the Deaf Man showing up again - especially since his two previous appearances resulted in blackmail, murder, and general havoc. But at least they have him now...unless he had them first.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Bread: 87th Precinct, Book 29

It’s bad enough when a warehouse goes up in flames, but when it leads to multiple murders and a slum redevelopment deal that has deadly ties running through the city’s underbelly, the 87th Precinct is back to work.

Long Time No See: An 87th Precinct Mystery, Book 32

When a blind couple is murdered, Steve Carella’s only clue is the 10-year-old dream one of the victims had. This dream will lead him to a killer whose secret is worth murder. This lastest installment in the 87th Precinct series is a labyrinthine thriller that will leave listeners breathless.

Narration Spoils Book.

I have read almost all 87th Pct Police novels when they were first in print. Over time, after reading all the novels as they are published, I ha..Show More »ve created a minds eye view of all the characters. Much to my chagrin the narrator of this installment of the series bears no similarity to my mental image. The difference between what I have created in my mind, over the years, and what I hear on this download is completely incompatible. The voices I hear on the audio book bear no similarity to the voices of the characters I have created in my mind. So much so that after 5 minutes I could no longer listen to this audio book. As a born Brooklynite the accent is totally unrecognizable as from an Earthly city. What a waste of money!

Calypso: An 87th Precinct Novel, Book 33

A calypso singer fresh off a gig walks home in a downpour, when shots tear through his head like steel rain. A hooker out on the street in the same miserable weather doesn’t know her final trick will be her last. What brings these two sad ends together… the same gun.

It is stormy in the 87th Precinct and with every hour that passes, every minute the killer stays on the loose, the trail is only going to get colder.

Eight Black Horses: 87th Precinct Series

Finding a dead body was not unusual for an autumn night in the 87th Precinct. But this young woman's body was naked - and potentially related to the series of odd missives received at the station house. All signs point to the Deaf Man's return, this time with a plot more diabolical than even the jaded policemen could imagine. He's been sending them mysterious pictures of police equipment: nightsticks, helmets, black horses, and more. But what did they mean?

Tricks: 87th Precinct, Book 40

Everyone in the 87th Precinct gets in on the act in Tricks. This audiobook from Ed McBain is a multicrime Halloween story full of murder, mayhem, and cops walking the line between decent society and the evil just beneath its surface.

Lullaby: An 87th Precinct Mystery, Book 41

A babysitter and the child she is watching are murdered on New Year’s Eve — just as a gang war over drug trafficking erupts and puts one of the detectives of the 87th Precinct in mortal danger.

How does McBain keep them coming?

The cadence of the story, like an old "Drag Net" episode of the 60's. A reader/listener will either like the cast of detectives; a strange group, exce..Show More »pt Steve Carella, or they will not. Like any detective SERIES, and McBain has a long list of books in his 87th Precinct series, the books get better the more one reads them. But back to the cadence of the story; it is slow and repetitive much like, I would imagine, the real like task of tracking down a killer.

Vespers: An 87th Precinct Mystery, Book 42

The murder of a priest in one of the 87th Precinct’s parishes sends Detectives Carella and Hawes on a troubling investigation where everyone has a secret and the truth hides within the lies.

start with another in the series if you must start

This seemed like an innocuous police procedural series, so I tried this instalment on sale. Know that an early chapter contains a detailed sex scene ..Show More »from a black mass - perhaps the black mass was necessary for the plot (I didn't finish the book for additional reasons), but the amount of detail was not, in a police procedural. A good crime writer can communicate such a context without such detail.

If you are attracted by the title - "Vespers"- thinking this might involve the sub-genre of priest sleuth - definitely stay away!

This also seemed to me to be Dick Hill's narration at it absolute silliest. He is not among my favourite narrators, but I can enjoy his reading - not so here. Perhaps he didn't know how to take the content either!

I don't usually review books I can't finish, but this one needs a warning for the unwary. Some scenes that can pass in text are just not suited to many listeners in audio - and since you can't skim ahead to see what awaits and adjust reading speed accordingly -- this can be disturbing.

My overall rating = Yuk. Don't waste your time or credit; there is too much good crime fiction out there.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Sometimes a book goes temporarily out of print - and sometimes no audio version has ever been recorded. Audible wants to give you the most complete selection we can and we'll keep adding series and filling in gaps as quickly as possible.

Fat Ollie's Book

Murders happen every day in the big bad city. They're not such a big deal, you know. Even when the victim is a city councilman as well-known as Lester Henderson.

But this is the first time Fat Ollie Weeks of the 88th Precinct has written a novel, ah yes. Called Report to the Commissioner, it follows a cunning detective named Olivia Wesley Watts, who, apart from being female and slim, is rather like Fat Ollie himself. While Ollie's responding to the squeal about the dead councilman, his leather dispatch case is stolen from the back of his car....

Funny

I can't help it, even as dated as it is, the over dramatic narration and Fat Ollie, I loved it.

Frumious Bandersnatch: A Novel of the 87th Precinct

It should have been the night that launched a new pop idol. Tamar Valparaiso is young and beautiful, with the body and voice of an angel. The stage is set for her to launch her debut album, Bandersnatch, on a luxury yacht in the heart of the city. But halfway through her performance, masked men drag Tamar off the stage and into a waiting speedboat, while the partygoers look on helplessly.

Hark!: A Novel of the 87th Precinct

Ed McBain concocts a brilliant and intricate thriller about a master criminal who haunts the city with cryptic passages from Shakespeare, directing the detectives of the 87th Precinct to a future crime - if only they can figure out what he means.

Fiddlers: A Novel of the 87th Precinct

Ed McBain's latest installment in the 87th Precinct series finds the detectives stumped by a serial killer who doesn't fit the profile. Seemingly random targets shot twice in the face. But most serial killers don't use guns. Most serial killers don't strike five times in two weeks. Now it falls to Detective Steve Carella and his colleagues in the 87th Precinct to find out what, or whom, the victims had in common before another body is found.

I disagree

Ed McBain is great, but this production of his work left much to desire. Primarily, Mr. McBain uses short chapters and switches between characters to..Show More » describe the parallel activities. This narration lacks the requisite pauses between the chapters. The result is that the listener hears the narratrion for the next chapter before he realizes he has completed the previous chapter. Easy to cope with, in a "real" book, but confusing as hell in an audio book. I would like to hear a little music or tone when one ends and the other begins.